Vegetable-chopper



(No Model.)

J. W. McALPIN, Jr.

VEGETABLE CHOPPER. No. 442,075. Patented Dec. 2, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. 7

JAMES IVALIJACE MCALPIN, J R, OF SAVANNAH, GEORGIA.

VEGETABLE-CHOPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 442,075, dated December 2, 1890.

Application filed August 28, 1890; Serial No. 363,339. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES WALLACE McAL- PIN, J11, a citizen of the United States, residing at Savannah, in the county of Chatham and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vegetable-Choppers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to agriculture, and has for its object the providing of a suitable instrument for cutting potatoes prior to planting them, thereby replacing the tedious process of cutting by hand now generally adopted on farms.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawin gs, wherein the same parts are indicated by the same letters.

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of my improved potato-cutter mounted on a receptacle for the cut potatoes. Fig. 2 represents a vertical section of the same through the line as as. Fig. 3 represents a View across the slot Q. Fig. 4 represents my choppingblock. Fig. 5 represents a view of the cutting-faces of the chopping-knives. Fig. 6 represents a view of the lugs tacked on the upper part of the chopping-block to steady the potatoes when the knives fall.

A represents the cutting-instrument made of any desired number of knife-edges set radially and suitably held at the lower end of the plunger B.

b is a handle on the top of the plunger, and may be of any desired shape and pressed either by hand, by a lever, or in any suitable way. I This plunger should be held against turning by a slot engaging a lug or by any other suitable mechanical device.

0 is a spring to withdraw the knives automatically after each cut.

F F are standards secured to any suitable support.

My potato-cutter may be screwed down to a table or any plane board, and the potatoes may be introduced and cleared away by hand; but as the small particles of chopped potatoes and the juice from the same would make a sloppy mass on the said table or board and the operation of removing by hand is incoir venient I use a wooden support similar to that shown in Fig. 1. This support L is made long enough to reach across the tub, box, or other receptacle for the cut potatoes, and has a slot Q in its center. Across the bottom of this slot, beneath the plunger and knives, I secure a cross-piece K, and on this cross-piece I hinge a chopping-block G. On the fiat head of this chopping-block I nail several small oval-shaped lugs of leather or rubber g, Fig. 6, made in one or more layers. These lugs should come between the cutting-edges of any two consecutive knives, and are intended both to steady the potatoes during the cut ting and also to keep the skin from being torn or bruised by any dullness of the knives.

In lieu of cleaning 06 my chopping-block by hand, I have it hinged at H with a cord M to tilt it over and a spring S on the opposite side to draw it back promptly when the cord is let go. This spring may be a stout rubber band or a metallic spring sufficiently strong. It will be found more convenient to let the cord go .over a roller B, Fig. 2, set in the support I and actuate it by a pedal T, Fig. 2. In this way a person can simultaneously work the knife-plunger with one hand, feed the potatoes on the chopping-block with the other, and dump the cut potatoes into the proper receptacle and clean off the choppingblock with one foot.

It will be readily seen that the same device might be used in chopping up apples, pears, &c., and that by having a corer in the center of the knives the cores may be extracted at the same time.

\Vhile I prefer to use five, the number of knives may be changed at will without affecting the merits of my invention.

N represents a box or other convenient receptacle for the cut potatoes, apples, pears, &c.

1 represents a potato ready for cutting.

I d) not wish to limit myself to the devices herein described and shown, as many modifications thereof would readily suggest themselves to a skilled mechanic, which could be used without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim as new 1. In a vegetable-chopper,the combination of multiple'knives. set radially and mounted i n a plunger, held against turning by any suitable mechanical device, with a spring for withdrawing said plunger and a guide for the same, all mounted on a suitable standard secured to a table or other suitable plane surface, having lugs made of rubber or leather secured to the said surface betweenthe cutting-edges of contiguous knives, as herein set forth.

2. In avegetablechopper, the combination of multiple knives set radially and mounted in a plunger, with a spring for withdrawing said plunger and a guide for the same, all mounted on a suitable standard secured to a support haying a slot in the center thereof, and a cross-piece secured across the bottom of the said slot, with a chopping-block hingedthereon, said block beingcapable of turning down in the slot, substantially as described. 3. In a vegetable-chopper, the combination of multiple knives-set radially and mountedbottom of the said slot, with a chopping-block hinged thereon, said block having a cord attached to one side'for turning it on its hinges, said cord passing over a roller in said support and being attached to a treadle. and a spring attached to the'other side of said block for automatically restoring itinto position, as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof Iafiix my signatu rein 5o presence of two witnesses.

JAMES WALLACE MCALPIN, JR.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. PURVIs, HENRY McALPIN. 

